The David Thompson Memorial Constituency Councils Football Classic 2015 will benefit Barbadian communities significantly.

This view was expressed by Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steven Blackett, during his address to launch the tournament last Friday, at the Parkinson Resource Centre, The Pine, St. Michael.

Mr. Blackett said the tournament, which had to be cancelled last year because of financial constraints, was reintroduced this year at a reduced budget of BDS $440,000.

???The money is not being wasted; it is not being splurged. I always say that the best tax payers??? money is spent on tax payers; it is money being spent on Barbadians??? with the increase in crime my Ministry has made a conscious decision to use sports and culture as a catalyst to reach our young people.

???Records indicate that for each consecutive year since 2011, this out-of-season football tournament has been held through this Ministry without any incidents of violence. This for us, is testimony that the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development is fulfilling an important part of its mandate of promoting positive constituency involvement, and we are therefore convinced that the expense of this tournament is well justified,??? he maintained.

The Minister said that business people and small entrepreneurs could also benefit from the tournament by plying their trade at the various matches.??The tournament kicks off on Sunday, September 27, at the Gall Hill Playing Field, St. John, with an opening ceremony at 4:00 p.m., and the first of two matches beginning at 6:00 p.m.

The finals will be held on Sunday, December 6, at Kensington Oval at 6:00 p.m. Thirty teams representing six zones will compete for the first prize of BDS $30,000.

aisha.reid@barbados.gov.bb

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